Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-12
In WASHINGTON SOCIETY
A Busy Week With the Society People
All Kinds of Amusements.
Operas, Races, Circus, Ball. Hops, Boat
ing and Riding Freely INDUCED in.
Commerce Law Greatly Damaging
Trade Between the u. S. and Canada.
DIR ARISTOCRACY.
How the Parasites Sapping the BleOdOf Hon
est Toilers Manage to Kill Time.

How the Parasites Sapping the BleodOf Hon
est ToiIers Manage to Kill Time
WASHINGTON, May 8. This is the
busiest week that society has ever
seen since the drop curtain of Lent cut
short the gayeties of the social season
proper. Two operas, the races at Ivy
City, the circus, base ball, hops at the
boat houses, rowing; horseback riding,
and evening entertainments; all together
have combined to make the week very
busy one. The great event sof the week
was PATHS opera, one night only, with
seats at $500. Ifs they had been double
that figure the situation would have been
the same, probably; every seat, almost
bledup long before the performance.
The "great act" in social way, was to
give an "opera party" to the Patti per
Torrance. OF course it took a right
smart sum of money to do this, with
seats at 81 each, rosebuds 81 apiece, and
after The performance supper ad hbitum
as to price. But this only added zest to
the sport. One prominent young society
man, Mr.. Janish, gave a party to 26
people and followed it with a superb sup
per at one of the SWEETEST of the swell
restaurants of the place. Of course the
prominent people of the social world
were there; cabinet officers and their
families and foreign legation people. The
occasion was "full dress one'' and the
scene one of the most brilliant witnessed
at any theatre in Washington. For once
the individual who insists that the ladies
ought TO remove their hats at the theatres
was pretty we'll satisfied, for there were
plenty of hatless and bonnetless ladies on
this occasion. Emma Abbott and her
company were an attraction all the week
at the National, and proved themselves
popular with the social word, as they al
ways do.
THE RACES
were an important feature of the week
with the society people. They always
are. Society here takes an especial in
terest In turf sports, and the interest has
been increased this season by the unusual
amount of horseback riding INDUCED in
by fashionable people nowadays. The
proper have hare and. hounds and fox
hunts that have been INDUCED III with
such frequency by society people here
and in Baltimore have awakened interest
IN horse back riding and added to the
interest felt in the races, which have al
~rays boo1a popular. THE rr.ad Ivy
city, when the weather was good, has
been brilliant sight this week. Cabi-
net people and their families,
members of congress who still lnger
here, army and navy officials, representa-
ttyes of the foreign legations, and prom
inent citizens with nothing to do but
spend their money and kil! time; all were
Zen the road" TIE army of fashionable |
and elegant equipages was something |
not inconsiderable in itself. Dog carts, |
tea carts, landans. yictorias with their
hyeried driver and f0otman and elegant
steppers. four-in-hands driven by howl |
ing ewells, tandep1s ditto, horseback
riders with skin-tight breecher and clubs
for whips, everything from the Russian
minister's drohsky TO the dude and his
hired horse were there. The scene at the
grand stand was scarcely surpassed In
brilliancy by that at the Abbott and Patti
operas. And didn't they bet, too. If you
have any doubt about the nerve of a
Washington society woman when it comes
to backing her favorite horse in a race,
just sit In the grand stand short while
when the races are on, or listen to the
commissions for purchase of pool tick
cts. They do not stop with the infantile
dissipation of betting boxes of gloves or
anything like that, but go in, man fash
ion, to win or lose. The sums that have
changed hands in this way this week
would have built several churches.
THEN THERE is THE CIRCUS.
Whoever supposes that society" omits
the circus, is greatly mistaken. Bless
your hearts, society folks are as fond of
circus as the colored citizen is of brass
band or a military procession. There is
no squeamishness about it, either; no GO
ing "to take the children, you know"
They go because they want to. They go
early, have the best reserved seats they
can get, and never miss point from be-
ginning to end. IF they miss connec-
ton in any way they are mad as hornets.
| have known cabinet officer to stand
about the door of circus tent, in the
rain, a quarter of an hour, waiting to get
in,
Mrs. Cleveland, who has not been into
society since the death of Mrs. Folsom's
mother, spends most of her time at Oak
View with that lady, who still feels deeply
her atiiction.
The season of fun on the Potomac and
Chesapeake Bay has begun. The rowing
clubs and canoe clubs are active, the hops
at the lighthouses have been nayigated,
and the yachts of several wealthy Balti-
more and New York gentlemen are cruis-
ing about Old Point Comfort.
The informal Wednesday afternoon re-
captions by the cabinet ladies continue,
and are always we'll attended. Mrs. Fair